Much of the world is steeped in sin. In fact, much of the world does not believe in objective truth. Relativism is rampant. Relativism says that if I don’t think something is wrong, then it isn’t wrong. Therefore, if I don’t think abortion is wrong, then it’s not wrong. Or…if I don’t think premarital sex and contraception are wrong, then it isn’t wrong.

The problem with relativism is that it’s subjective. The laws of God do not change just because the world thinks they should.

Of course, objective truth and natural law tell us that there is indeed sin. There is good and there is evil. When our opinions begin to shape our lives, we can become even greater slaves to our sins.

Fasting not only wakes us up, but it also opens our eyes to the beauty of self-giving love, self-sacrificial love. Fasting helps us to see truth. When Jesus cured the blind man, that miracle could also be an analogy of Jesus opening our eyes to sin.

Fasting helps us to see that the world does not revolve around us. Fasting opens our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit. Fasting allows us to grow in humility and get rid of pride.

Let us fast and pray for all the community intentions, for all those who are being persecuted and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

“Fasting weakens our tendency to violence; it disarms us and becomes an important opportunity for growth. On the one hand, it allows us to experience what the destitute and the starving have to endure. On the other hand, it expresses our own spiritual hunger and thirst for life in God. Fasting wakes us up. It makes us more attentive to God and our neighbour. It revives our desire to obey God, who alone is capable of satisfying our hunger.”

Fasting indeed wakes us up and makes us more attentive to God and to our neighbor. By fasting, we come out of our selfishness and into generosity. Because fasting invites the Holy Spirit into our hearts and souls, it revives our desire to obey God who, as the Holy Father said, “alone is capable of satisfying our hunger.”

Let us keep up the good work of fasting this Lent! We are more than halfway through our Lenten journey. Let’s keep fasting and growing in our faith!

Today let us pray and fast for all the community intentions, for the victims of human trafficking and for all those who are suffering.

“Lent is a time to face our temptations and be converted by the Gospel,” Pope Francis said in his Angelus address on the first Sunday of Lent a few weeks ago. During this holy season, we need to have the courage to reject anything that leads us away from God. But, as the Holy Father has said, “It is not a sad time!”

When we are able to put selfishness aside and focus on others, we will be happier. When we are living a virtuous life, we will be happier.

Fasting helps us to put selfishness aside and focus on others. Fasting helps us to lead a virtuous life. Fasting opens our hearts to conversion and gives weight to our prayer intentions. Fasting strengthens us in resisting temptations and helps to promote peace in our hearts and peace with one another. Fasting reminds us of the plight of the poor and many who are perpetually hungry. Fasting can free us from addictive behavior. Fasting invites the Holy Spirit in to heal our hearts, our relationship with God and with others.

The Holy Father concluded his address with an appeal to the Blessed Mother: “May Mary Most Holy help us to live this Lent with fidelity to the Word of God and with incessant prayer, as Jesus did in the desert. It is not impossible! It means living the days with the desire to welcome the love that comes from God, and that desires to transform our life, and the whole world.”

Let us pray and fast for all the community intentions, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for victims of human trafficking and for all those who are suffering.

Holy Mary, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray!

]]>Fasting, Trust and Obediencehttp://livethefast.org/fasting-trust-and-obedience/
Wed, 07 Mar 2018 10:00:55 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=20065“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.” Deutero 4:9

Joseph was obedient. And, like Mary, he trusted. We can learn so much from St. Joseph. Scripture doesn’t say a lot about him, but what is written shows him to be a holy, humble and virtuous man.

His obedience and his trust in the face of almost impossible circumstances is awe-inspiring. How did he feel when he realized that his wife and the Savior would have to be born in a stable amongst the animals? How did he feel when he had to take his family to escape into Egypt with just the clothes on their backs?

Many paintings show Joseph humbly in the background. He humbly protected the Christ Child and Mary. He humbly taught Jesus the carpentry trade. St. Joseph humbly listened to God, obeyed Him and trusted Him.

Were we once reluctant to fast? Were we once reluctant to give up our life of sin?

For most of us, fasting is difficult. Even if we’ve been fasting for years, there are times it seems impossible. But it is always worthwhile. Jesus tells us to fast. The disciples fasted and Our Lady fasted. If we humbly take Joseph’s example of obedience and trust, then our fasting will be worthwhile and will help us to get to heaven.

Today as we continue our Lenten journey, let us remember St. Joseph (whose feast day we will celebrate on March 19). Let us fast and pray for the homeless, the lonely, new widows and new widowers who are facing the Christmas season without their spouses, and let us also pray and fast for all the community prayer intentions.

Holy Mary, pray for us! St. Joseph, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray!

]]>Fasting and Eternal Lifehttp://livethefast.org/fasting-and-eternal-life-2/
Fri, 02 Mar 2018 10:00:47 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=20012God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. John 3:16

A line from today’s Gospel reminds us that life on earth, life as we know it, will end someday. It isn’t a pessimistic proclamation. It is the truth. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s the end for us. Our souls will live on in eternity. Our belief in Jesus Christ and how we have lived our lives will determine the place we shall spend eternal life.

If we are faithful to God, we will have eternal life in heaven. Jesus showed us by His example that we should fast. He showed us through Scripture that only prayer with fasting will cast out some demons.

Fasting helps us to be faithful to God. But it also gives us an opportunity to help others. Have you ever felt helpless in the face of all the wars, terrorism, destruction, evil that permeates our world? Fasting allows us to be like the Good Samaritan and pray and fast for all those in need, as well as praying and fasting for all those who are perpetuating the evil. Fasting is so powerful that there have been many miracles attributed to prayer and fasting. Our practice of fasting may not always be perfect, but we are trying and God appreciates our efforts.

We shall not die. We shall live in eternity with Him.

Let us pray and fast for all those who are living an immoral lifestyle, that they have a conversion of heart. Let us pray and fast for terrorists and murderers, that they have a conversion of heart. Let us pray and fast for all the community prayer intentions.

Holy Mary, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray!

]]>Fasting for Othershttp://livethefast.org/fasting-for-others-2/
Wed, 28 Feb 2018 10:00:30 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=20006“Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matt 20:28

By His example, Jesus taught us that we can serve others. By His death on the cross, He taught us that we can also sacrifice for others.

This is one of the most beautiful aspects of fasting. Fasting for the intentions of others makes us less self-centered. Fasting for others gives powerful meaning to our sacrifice.

“But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it (demon) out?’ He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.’” Mark 9:27-29

Not only does fasting make us less self-centered, fasting together with prayer gives powerful weight to our prayer intentions. Fasting helps us to focus on others and not ourselves.

As we continue our Lenten journey today, let us pray and fast for all the community intentions, for all those who are suffering and for all those being persecuted for their faith.

Holy Mary, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray!

]]>Lent: A Time to Grow Closer to Christhttp://livethefast.org/fasting-and-returning-to-the-lord/
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 10:00:18 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=19918Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful. Joel 2:12

Today’s reading from Joel (which was also the first reading on Ash Wednesday) reminds us again of God’s gracious and tender mercy. God wants us to return to Him, no matter what we have done, no matter how long we have been away from Him. We need not be afraid.

In his Lenten message from 2016, Pope Francis wrote: “Mercy expresses God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe.”

Just as the Mercy of God “offers a new chance” for a sinner to “look at himself, convert and believe,” so also Lent offers all believers a new chance to grow more deeply in the faith and in our own personal relationship with Christ.

Conversion does not necessarily need to be extreme (like in the case of St. Paul), but we are called to grow more deeply in our faith, no matter where we are in our faith life. We are all called to be “saints.” Saints have always tried to imitate Christ and to be closer to God in their lives.

In Matthew’s Gospel (6: 5-18), Jesus teaches us how to pray. He then gives us the teaching on fasting. Prayer and fasting are a team and can be the solution to the world’s problems. Even if we have already been fasting, we can use fasting and prayer as a chance to grow in our faith. Lent is an ideal time to take fasting to the next level! Let’s answer Jesus’ call to pray and fast!

If we’re already fasting two days a week, maybe we can add another day of fasting. Perhaps we can skip one meal on extra days during Lent and replace that meal with bread and water. We can also add a fast from social media, television or special treats we enjoy. The self-denial of fasting has so many spiritual benefits and we can all benefit from the spiritual graces and the increase in the virtue of temperance that naturally results when we are not taking part in something we enjoy.

Lent is a time of conversion, of growing closer to Christ and of growing stronger in our faith. It is a time of listening to Jesus’ call to pray and fast. It is a positive, joyful time to reflect not only on preparing for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, but also preparing our souls for eternity.

When we fast and pray today, let us do so for those who are perpetually hungry, the poor, the community prayer intentions and for the victims of the school shooting last week in Florida.

Holy Mary, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray!

]]>The Beginning of Lent – Ash Wednesdayhttp://livethefast.org/the-beginning-of-lent-ash-wednesday/
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 10:00:34 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=19745Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart,with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God. Joel 2: 12-14

Today begins the holy season of Lent! This is a joyful season, a positive time for new life to appear, bad habits to disappear, a time of preparing with our minds and hearts renewed. If we have been fasting all year, let’s step it up a bit and perhaps add an additional day of fasting.

Lent is about so much more than giving up chocolate. Lent is about renewing our hearts and minds, focusing on Jesus, learning to be selfless instead of selfish and increasing in character and virtue.

In Pope Benedict XVI’s papal Lenten message (2009), he wrote: “The Sacred Scriptures and the entire Christian tradition teach that fasting is a great help to avoid sin and all that leads to it. For this reason, the history of salvation is replete with occasions that invite fasting.”

The self-denial of fasting helps us to appreciate and embrace what Lent is all about: a time to return to the Lord with our whole hearts, a time of penance to prepare our hearts for the Risen Lord. Since we have already been fasting throughout the year on Wednesdays and Fridays, what can we do to make Lent even more penitential? What can we do to “step it up a notch?” What other practices can we take part in over the next six weeks to prepare our hearts and souls for the Risen Lord?

Daily Mass, reading/reflecting on Scripture, reciting the Rosary, the Seven Sorrows Chaplet, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Chaplet of the Holy Fast and almsgiving are all excellent ways to journey with Christ through Lent. We can give our time to others as part of our almsgiving. The gift of our time during this penitential season is something that can be priceless to those who are lonely and shut in.
Tomorrow, as we begin Lent in earnest, let us pray that the self-denial of fasting will help to prepare our hearts for the Risen Lord. Let us joyfully attend Mass as often as we can, read Scripture, recite the Rosary and the Fasting Chaplet as well as other chaplets. Let’s visit the elderly and the sick.

Note: Today is also Valentine’s Day, which is a secular holiday so we are still obliged to fast and abstain from meat (there is no dispensation from fasting or abstinence).

Let us fast and pray today for all the community intentions, for all our community members, for peace in the world, and for success in preparing our hearts over the next 40 days.

Fasting invites the Holy Spirit in to our hearts and souls. But how does fasting help us to listen to Jesus’ words? Can we hear God’s voice amidst our daily activities?

God speaks to us in many ways: through Scripture, through prayer, through the Church, through other people, through the trials/tribulations of life, through the Holy Spirit.

In Scripture, Jesus says, “When you fast.” He didn’t say, “If you fast.” It was a given that his followers (and thus Jesus’ present day followers: us!) would fast. When we fast, we are listening to Jesus’ words.

However, what if we can hear God’s voice, but we don’t want to listen? What if we choose not to listen? Making a virtuous choice usually means there is sacrifice involved. The regular self-denial of fasting helps to prepare us for future sacrifices and gives us practice at eating what we need and not what we want.

Our sacrifices, our fasting here on earth has tremendous value and merit. Not only can we join our suffering with Christ’s suffering, we can also offer up our suffering for others, either in purgatory or those living their purgatory on earth. Embracing suffering is not an easy task… but we can do it with God’s grace.

Let’s listen to Jesus. Let’s continue to fast.

Today, let us fast and pray for all the community intentions and for all those suffering in the world.

]]>Fasting and the Gift of Wisdomhttp://livethefast.org/fasting-and-the-gift-of-wisdom/
Wed, 07 Feb 2018 10:00:11 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=19608The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom. Psalm 37

Fasting and prayer help to perfect our hearts and souls. When we fast, we invite the Holy Spirit in to our hearts and souls, so we will be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit “complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.” (CCC 1831) Infused with His gifts, we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as if by instinct, the way Christ Himself would.

What does it mean to have the gift of wisdom?

Wisdom is the perfection of faith. As Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., noted in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, “Where faith is a simple knowledge of the articles of Christian belief, wisdom goes on to a certain divine penetration of the truths themselves.” The better we understand those truths, the more we value them properly. Thus wisdom, as the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “by detaching us from the world, makes us relish and love only the things of heaven.” Through wisdom, we judge the things of the world in light of the highest end of man—the contemplation of God.

The regular practice of fasting helps us with the gift of Wisdom. With fasting, we have a new mind and a new heart. We can have more clarity for the direction our lives should be going. By adding fasting to our prayer routine, our pride is diminished and our humility is increased.

Most of us are familiar with the biblical story of King Solomon and how he was able to determine who was the true mother of the baby. He was filled with the gift of wisdom.

A more recent example of a saint with wisdom is St. John Paul II, who coincidentally, was also a proponent of the regular practice of fasting. He wrote this beautiful prayer:

Holy Spirit and Seat of Wisdom help us in the great endeavor that we are carrying out to meet on a more and more mature way our brothers and sisters in the faith. Through all the means of knowledge, of mutual respect, of love, may we be able to rediscover gradually the divine plan. Teach us constantly the ways that lead to unity. Help us all to proclaim Christ and reveal the power of God and the wisdom of God hidden in His Cross. How greatly I desire to entrust to You all the difficult problems of the societies, systems, and states— problems that cannot be solved with hatred, war, and self-destruction, but only by peace, justice, and respect for the rights of people and nations. Amen.
from Go in Peace: A Gift of Enduring Love by John Paul II, edited by Joseph Durepos

Today, let us fast and pray for all the community intentions, for suffering souls all over the world and for an increase in wisdom and faith as we approach the holy season of Lent.

Holy Mary, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray! St. John Paul II, pray for us!

]]>Fasting and Being a Good Examplehttp://livethefast.org/fasting-and-being-a-good-example/
Wed, 31 Jan 2018 10:08:33 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=19537“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.” Mark 6: 5-6

A quote attributable to St. Francis is, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” Example is the best way to evangelize and to preach the gospel.

Many of us may have the experience of trying to preach the gospel to our relatives and friends. Perhaps we have tried to share the benefits of fasting. But as Jesus says in the gospel reading above, “a prophet is not without honor except in his native place.” Friends and relatives may not be open to what we have to say. Being the best example we can be is an excellent way to evangelize and preach the gospel.

Sometimes we need to step back and give our relatives space and time. Sometimes we even need to step back and give ourselves space and time. It’s not always easy to fast, or to live a virtuous life, especially since the rest of the world seems to embrace immorality. Fasting can help us to live a more virtuous life.

Be the best example you can be. Keep fasting, keep trying. Fasting on healthy non-GMO breads (like the ones that Live the Fast produces) are the best breads to fast with.

Today, let us pray and fast for all the community intentions, for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and for all the poor and perpetually hungry.

Holy Mary, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray! St. John Bosco, pray for us!

]]>Fasting and the Parable of the Mustard Seedhttp://livethefast.org/fasting-and-the-parable-of-the-mustard-seed/
Fri, 26 Jan 2018 10:10:32 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=19487The Kingdom of God…is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade. (Mark 4:32)

In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed. It is the smallest of seeds and yet once it is planted and nurtured, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants.

Our faith can be the same. It can start out tiny but when nurtured, can grow as big as a mountain.

How can we nurture this small seed of our faith? A full prayer life, which may include the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and/or the Liturgy of the Hours; time spent in Adoration (usually an hour or more per week); Daily Mass, if possible; almsgiving, frequent Confession,and fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Daily Mass, Adoration and Confession give us the graces to be strong against temptation. By our practice of prayer and fasting, we invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and souls. Fasting helps us to distinguish between a want and a need and helps us to remember the plight of the poor. Prayer and fasting are a team and help us to get rid of bad habits and addictions and to grow in virtue.

Don’t allow your faith to remain a small seed. Nurture your faith through the sacraments and prayer and fasting.

Today, let us pray and fast for all the community intentions, for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and for those whose faith is but a small seed, that it will grow and become “the largest of plants.”

]]>Fasting and St. Francis de Saleshttp://livethefast.org/fasting-and-st-francis-de-sales/
Wed, 24 Jan 2018 10:00:07 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=19484Today is the feast of St. Francis de Sales. (It’s not a solemnity so we are free to fast!) His quotes below show us that he was a great advocate of fasting.

St. Francis de Sales said, “If you are able to fast, you will do well to observe some days beyond what are ordered by the Church, for besides the ordinary effect of fasting in raising the mind, subduing the flesh, confirming goodness, and obtaining a heavenly reward, it is also a great matter to be able to control greediness, and to keep the sensual appetites and the whole body subject to the law of the Spirit; and although we may be able to do but little, the enemy nevertheless stands more in awe of those whom he knows can fast. The early Christians selected Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as days of abstinence.”

Whether you have been fasting for weeks or years, we can all confirm there are so many benefits to the practice of regular fasting. Fasting helps us to distinguish between a need and a want; fasting helps us to increase in virtue. When we fast, we choose not to eat our regular meals, so this can help us to empathize with the poor and perpetually hungry. By fasting we can be good Samaritans when we fast for others’ intentions.

Lent will be coming in three weeks. How will we “step it up” during Lent? Perhaps we can choose to fast on one additional day during the week (as well as Wednesdays and Fridays). Some community members have shared with us that during Lent, they fast on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and that by doing so, it helps keep the continuity of the fast.

Others, like St. Francis de Sales and St. Faustina encouraged fasting on Saturdays.

Today, let us fast and pray for all the community intentions, for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and for all those who are lonely, depressed or anxious.

Holy Mary, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray! St. Francis de Sales, pray for us!

]]>An Eternal Examplehttp://livethefast.org/an-eternal-example/
Fri, 19 Jan 2018 10:34:14 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=19446God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Cor 5:19

As we mentioned a few days ago, it’s important to trust God. But He also entrusts us with evangelizing. He doesn’t need to use us to spread the Gospel. He chooses to do so.

We are all instruments of God’s word. Because God has entrusted us with spreading His word, and because He entrusts us with His message of mercy and reconciliation, it’s especially important that we are excellent examples of virtue and mercy to all those around us.

Many of us have ancestors who were faithful and prayed their Rosary every day, ancestors who could readily forgive and show mercy, ancestors who are now part of the Communion of Saints. Isn’t it beautiful how these ancestors continue to be a good example to their descendants years after they died?

When we practice the self-denial of fasting, we become stronger Christians and better examples. We can show mercy and forgive more easily. We can empathize better with those who have little to eat. When we practice self-denial, we can improve ourselves in denying food that we want rather than need. Fasting invites the Holy Spirit into our hearts and souls.

Because fasting helps us be a virtuous example to all those around us, our example of virtue and mercy today will have positive effects throughout eternity.

Today, let us pray and fast for all the community intentions, for those marching in the Annual March for Life, for an end to abortion and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Holy Mary, pray for us! Holy Spirit, teach us to pray!

]]>Prayer and Fasting Are a Great Teamhttp://livethefast.org/prayer-and-fasting-are-a-great-team/
Wed, 17 Jan 2018 10:20:30 +0000http://livethefast.org/?p=19434Most of us are familiar with today’s reading about David and Goliath. Sometimes we probably use the term “David fighting Goliath” when a small company or person challenge a larger corporation.

It may sound simplistic, but it all comes down to trusting God. David was able to defeat the giant Goliath with just a stone.

Jesus said, “When You Fast.” It is a given that we should be fasting. Jesus fasted before every major event in his life. Fasting helps us to increase in virtue and invites the Holy Spirit into our heart.

Remember, however, that prayer is equally as important as fasting. They are a team. If we are just fasting without prayer, that is dieting. For fasting to be spiritually beneficial, our prayer life must be strong and constant. Even on the days we are having difficulties and it seems like everything is going against us, we can think of David and how that small boy was able to defeat a giant because he had faith and trusted God.

Today let us pray and fast for all the community intentions, for all those who feel hopeless and for peace in the world.